Login to add items to your list, keep track of your progress, and rate series!
Description
From Go! Comi: Like most teenagers, Mashiro Ichijo has a secret. But Mashiro’s secret is that he’s neither fully male nor female! So far, Mashiro’s been able to live his life as a boy, but all this changes when he’s informed of a new class he must take in order to graduate from his elite prep school. To pass, he must find the “Key”…and the only way to find it is to enter into a nightmare world where his body and soul are put at the mercy of the worst kind of enemies: his classmates!
Type
Manga
Related Series
N/A
Associated Names
放課後保健室 After School Nightmare L'Infirmerie après les cours (French) The Nurse's Office After School
Another one of Mizushiro-sensei's works with a beautiful story and characters.
Okay, first off, you have your main protaganist who is half male at the top and half female at the bottom. When I first picked this up and saw the summary on the back, I was all like, WTF?! That was something VERY different from manga I usually read.
There is also a lot of added genre's to the story than just shoujo. It leaves a whole lot of room for fandom and imagination. You have, horror, slight comedy, shounen-ai, shoujo-ai, and mystery. It's just...Wow. I read the first volume and was totally pulled in. You have no idea how much I wanted for the next volume to be realeased. Currently, I have the latest volume, which I plan to continue with each new release in the bookstores.
Protaganist/Mashiro: He/She is very reluctant when it comes to descisions. Mashiro has a huge complex of whether or not he's really female or male. The complex only worsens when Sou and Kureha come in the picture, fighting for his affections.
Sou: Calm, quiet, cool and hot guy. He's a ladies man and knows it, but doesn't exactly flaunt it. For some reason, he's in love with Mashiro and doesn't seem to think of him as a guy, but a girl. The guy's a whole mystery to me. All I know so far is that he has a sister-complex and wants Mashiro.
Kureha: She's petit and cute, like any other normal japanese girl. THe only thing is...she hates men. This is due to a family and personal incident. When she meets Mashiro, she finds out his secret and starts to get an attacthment to him, which then changes into a crush. She doesn't like Sou because she know when Mashiro is around him, he acts...different.
In short, the art is clean and beautiful (sensei has definately improved), story line is interesting and keeps you wanting more, and the characters are gorgeous, with a little of their own personality rather than the cliche' attributes of characters in other shoujo mangas. There's plenty of room to sympathize with them as well.
This manga is definately a must buy. I'm POSITIVE that i'm not wasting any of my money on it
...until 2:00AM and I have NEVER read 10 volumes in one sitting let alone stay up for manga. Mizushiro Setona is one of my most favorite mangakas because she's just awesome (1999 Shanghai and others were amazing). 10 volumes seemed overwhelming but after the 1st bizarre volume, i became addicted! Mizushiro Sentona is not only a great artist but an amazing storyteller...
if you're looking for a story that is full of suspense, twists, and an INCEPTION like mind slapping, this is the one. the ending is unpredictable and it deals with deep themes. Sure, the characters get annoying sometimes (responding to someone who reviewed here), but that's what makes them more real -- wouldn't YOU get confused and frustrated that you're half male & female? sheesh XD
but this met (and exceeded somewhat) my expectations of Mizushiro Sentona's work. all of her works are really deep (like this one) but keep in mind, I'm 19 now and when I read first read a manga of hers at 13 years old, I found it really boring and confusing so...yea. have an open, mature mind when reading her works because you WON'T regret it!
Never in my life have I read such a brilliant manga... and believe me, I have read A LOT (but Shoujo mostly). This manga starts off a little weird. One the first few pages I was a little disturbed admittedly and wondering what the heck was going on, especially since the summary really put me off. But, thank gosh I kept on reading!
The ending of the first chapter was really something. I fell in love with it because I had never read something with a mixture of morbid as well as romantic cliché scenes which somewhat gave off a gothic feel (though it's not really a Gothic manga). There was also very few smut scenes but I feel it was well-balanced along with the plot. And the art is just amazing!
The plot is quite tense but really, you just can't put the manga down once you get into it! It's just truely amazing. I admit the romance is extremely cliché but it fits with a complicated plot like this.
But maybe they should have focused on perceptions such as Mashiro possibility of being 'homosexual'... But then again, I guess there is no genre stating Shounen Ai or Shoujo Ai and it might put Yaoi/ Yuri haters off.
The characters are very well portrayed. You hated and loved them all, which is perhaps why I love this manga. It showed how everyone had a flaw like in reality. It was also interesting how everyone in this manga seemed to use others. It could get depressing/ annoying at times but just face the facts - that's what we all do!
The main character, Mashiro pissed me off most of the time. Nevertheless, I couldn't help liking him/ her at the same time. It was as if he/ her was portraying how us human make our decision whether it is wise or not.
Kureha is just awesome. Although she was whiny near the beginning/ middle, she really tried to fight away her fears and became strong. I seriously admire her for that. And in this case, it was as if the mangaka was now portraying our 'strong/ independant' side we have.
As for Sou, we all love him! He just made this manga so amazing... His character portrays our 'weak' side of humans or how we need to 'rely on others'.
I disagree with mogiks about the minor characters just 'dissapearing'. They were pretty vital as they gave away some of the clues or attempt people to not predict what would happen.
And as for the dream-like world, I thought it was even more interesting. I mean it represented the character itself and it made me think what would I be.
I also came up with a theory, for example:
Spoiler (highlight to view)
Some people have said that once the people 'graduate', they are reborn. However, I disagree with this.
In my opinion, the people attending the school are like sperms. As for the black hole, it's like a womb or the ovary. And do you remember a minor character dissapearing because she hadn't attended class two weeks in a row? This is as if her sperm died out due to lack of speed or something.
As for the nurse looking like Mashiro's mother. I was thinking that maybe the nurse looks different to everyone, e.g. Sou's version of his nurse would look like his future mother. I could be wrong on this theory as there is no proof.
Any, I also love this manga because you can come up with different theories... Also, after reading this manga my whole idea of life suddenly changed.
I found this one very original and interesting up until the point where the whole point of the class and what graduating really means is finally revealed. The ending was a complete let down though....
Spoiler (highlight to view)
When you consider that Mashiro was actually two souls sharing one body, he/she never really comes to terms with him/herself. Instead the female version kills the male before graduating thus only she is actually born. When you get down to it, the character never really grew in the sense of being able to accept both sides, which is probably the whole point of the nightmare class in the first place. Oh well.
This manga will not be for everybody. I am amazed that I am still reading it considering I am not a Yaoi/Yuri fan. While this manga is markedly listed as simply shoujo, there are elements that propel it into any number of genre. For starters, the lead character is intersexual. I think that's what you call it when your body is a contridiction to what you feel is inside. Not only is his soul not the same but his body is an entire mismatch. He has a male top half, flat chest, semi-muscular. However on the opposite end of the spectrum, he has a very definite female lower half. On top of that, he has a girlfriend. So does that mean he's a lesbian? No not quite. He also has a guy who insist on having him. So does that mean this is Yaoi and he is gay? Um no, not quite. You see the guy is persuing his female half as well is his girlfriend. So I guess this would be more shoujo-ai then yaoi in some instances. Lol. Looking like this yet @_@ Well, I sure as hell am, but you know for all the underlying themes of Yuri and Yaoi, which I don't normally like in manga, I can't put this one down.
However, not everyone will be able to sit comfortably through this story line. Non the less, if you want something that is very weird and very out there, but still offers the reader an element of romance, this is it. I mean aside form really wanting to know just what sex is he/she is, I am salso dying to know who he/she will choose in the end. Although I think I have a clue as to where his/her choice will be . T_T Yeah, I'm rooting for the losing team. Anyways, the art is not the bes,t but it serves it purpose in confusing the hell out of us as far as the leads gender . Out of 10, I am giving this manga a 9. I mean come on, if it can keep and easily squicked girl like me reading then it has to be good
My mind is pretty much blown. I can't find the right words to describe how this manga made me feel. But, what I will say is that it was one of the most impressive, complex and crazy stories I have ever read. It hooked me completely - I stayed up till 4 am to read this sucker. And I don't regret it at all because I know I'll remember it for a while. It's just one of those stories that leave an impression on you. It could be good or bad, but for those who like darker and deeper themed stories, packed with conflicted feelings and trippy psychological issues (that become reflected visually and directly) then you'll probably enjoy it like I did. It was definitely unique in terms of plot and characters that go with it. What I admired and enjoyed most about the story when I look back is the progression and development of the main character. In the beginning he/she is conflicted with her identity but by the end she knows who she wants to be and the story becomes easier to read (it feels a little happier), though you may take the ending as bittersweet. And it's an added plus for me that it focused on overcoming mental weaknesses and searching for who you're most comfortable being.
However, like previously mentioned, be forewarned. It's loaded with crazy psychological and personal problems that are vaguely foreshadowed (so it catches you off guard). Look out for WTF realizations. But despite that, I think that was what gave this amazing story character and its bizarre qualities.
Give it a shot if you're fine with all that in mind. But dont let it intimidate you if you're looking for something different.
Warning This manga has extreme personal issues raging from rape, transgendered a few other things.
Just a small warning this does have some transgendered situations, if you can't stand the thought of that just avoid this manga but your missing out on a great story. This is my second transgendered manga I've ever read and both had a character who is struggling with him/her self. When I began reading this manga I thought it would be yaoi but it turned out to be a shojo manga. This manga had so many twists and turns I just couldn't stop reading, it took me only 2 days to read 10 volumes of this manga.
Each character in this manga had it's own problems they are dealing with. One character she grew up in a house that her father always yelled at her mother, she was also raped when she was a little girl, so she grew up hating men. Another character Mashiro Ichijo is transgendered not knowing whether she should be a girl or boy. Another character see's something that isn't suppose to be there. They are all connected in this game to find their true selves. The three main characters you will learn to both love and hate at the same time, only when you read this manga series will you know why.
There is confusing romance in this book, first Mashiro Ichijo falls in love with a girl and thinks he could love her even if he's half female, then he falls in love with a boy who forces a kiss on him tell him he's a girl. It's confusing but also very nice love story with a bunch of twist and turns in the romance aspect.
The plot is the most epic thing I've ever read, if you don't mind the harsh background stories of the characters it is really good. You see how the characters come together and try to help each other out over their personal problems. I didn't like how the manga ended though, it kind of ended in a stupid way without any explanation as to what happen to any of the other characters. I wish it would have been more but the author probably just wanted to end the series as soon as she could.
Overall This manga is a really good read, I highly recommend everyone to read this manga. Even with the harsh character backgrounds you will still love it, since it has a bunch of twist and turns during the whole thing
I have got to say between this manga and Arisa are the best shoujo manga I have ever read!. First of all, all the characters had real personalities none of them had cardboard cut out feelings. The story played out so smooth and as you read more the missing puzzle pieces came into play. Also, every character had some significance, most shoujo manga I had read, had some characters that frequently came and go. I love how realistic this manga was, and how they capture that fact that some people might look perfect on the outside but the inside is "ugly".
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
However, it feels like some characters learn nothing when they graduated. I think the mangaka was trying to explain the consequences of quickly graduating without embracing and conquering your true side like the heroine did hence the reason why the paper giraffe fell into a black abyss. Also, I had to reread these chapters over again just to understand some things, like what was sou real form in the dream world?, was he his sister AI in the dream world?, and how did the nurse office caught on fire?? and the most important of all, what happen to the students after the fire and will those things like abandonment and rape happen to them again in the real world? Aside from that, there were no speed bumps until the end that really shocked me because I wanted them all to graduate. I also love that fact that at the ending chapters they show ichijo mom in the real world getting ready for labor while ichijo girl and boy soul fight for life in the dream world. I always wanted him to be a girl and I really hope ichijo and sou fall in love in the real world.
I really love this manga, I give it a 10 out of 10
with sooo many plot twists and turns and drama, this manga was a doozy. it was interesting, though, and i came to care about the characters and their plight. i loved the genius boy especially. the symbolism involved was really enjoyable too. mizushiro setona has a real knack for including lots of subtle symbols in her work, and it was pulled off well here as well.
the ending.....OHH THE ENDING. well, i can't say that it was pulled out of nowhere since there were clear subtle hints throughout the manga, but i do wish there was more explanation and exposition in the ending, instead of just thrusting the readers a "THIS IS THE REAL WORLD. THE END". though well planned and well thought out, it kinda just comes across as a cheap deus ex machina ;( im sure there's a buttload of room for interpretation for the entire manga after the ending, but i feel like the plot is much too complicated for the simple solution of "interpret how you wish". normally i'm a fan of open endings, but this ending, although brilliant, was a little too sloppy in execution.
ah! but it was a good story, though. don't get me wrong.
(+14)
(-35)
